Emma Stone highlights sexual harassment problem at Golden Globes
Jan 7, 2018, 12:47 PM | Updated: 6:00 pm
Emma Stone, left, and Billie Jean King arrive at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
PHOENIX — Arizona native and Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone was among a handful of actresses joined at the Golden Globes by activists in an effort to highlight the ongoing sexual harassment problem.
Stone was joined on the red carpet by Billie Jean King, a tennis champion who founded the Women’s Tennis Association. Stone has also been nominated for a Golden Globe award for her role as King in “Battle of the Sexes.”
Emma Stone and Billie Jean King! #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/cRnQcbhltP
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 8, 2018
Emma Stone with activist Billie Jean King on the #GoldenGlobes red carpet. pic.twitter.com/CYJisKR8Oa
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 8, 2018
Natalie Portman, America Ferrera, Emma Stone and Billie Jean King – talk about girl power! #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/bGmGozKp6s
— ES Lifestyle (@ESLifeandStyle) January 8, 2018
According to The New York Times, Stone will not be alone: The other actresses who extended political statements to their award show guests are Laura Dern, Amy Poehler, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Emma Watson, Michelle Williams and Shailene Woodley.
In a joint statement to the Times, the activists who joined the actresses on the red carpet said they hope to “redirect attention from abusers to survivors and lasting solutions” with their appearances.
“We believe we are nearing a tipping point in transforming the culture of violence in the countries where we live and work,” the women said. “It’s a moment to transform both the written and unwritten rules that devalue the lives and experiences of women.”
Earlier this month, Stone and the other actresses were among a group of 300 prominent actresses and female agents, writers, directors, producers and entertainment executives who formed the umbrella group Time’s Up.
The group was described by the Times as an “ambitious, sprawling initiative to fight systemic sexual harassment in Hollywood and in blue-collar workplaces nationwide.”
It includes the creation of a legal defense fund to help less privileged women, like janitors, nurses and other laborers, protect themselves from sexual harassment in the work place, legislation to punish companies that “tolerate persistent harassment” and push to reach gender parity at talent agencies and studios.
Related: Black dresses dominate Golden Globes red carpet
The statement Stone is expected to make at the Golden Globes on Sunday is just the latest in her push to address the issue of sexual harassment and assault. In December, Stone called the issue a “pandemic…through every industry” and said one way to combat it in the workplace could be to pay women the same as men.
The issue of sexual harassment was first skyrocketed in the public eye after the Times published a scathing report that detailed allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein which stretched over decades.
But the issue has effected industries outside of Hollywood: Multiple women have accused Arizona state Rep. Don Shooter of harassment or inappropriate behavior. Shooter has been suspended from his post as chairman of the appropriations committee as the House completes its investigation.
